Professional teams aren’t always known for perfect harmony in the locker room. To the greatest extent that may be expected, though, Nashville SC seems close to an exception in that regard. With six preseason friendlies in the rearview mirror and just one more coming up – this weekend in Chattanooga – this has grown into a team that has a genuine camaraderie.
“Everyone has that experience where you come into a new team,” said defender Ryan James. “You know how to approach it from a sense where you don’t know many guys. A lot of guys – you don’t start with one team, and go through with that whole team your whole life – everyone has that experience of coming into a new team and you don’t know anyone. ‘How can I know these guys better as quick as I can?’ I think everyone’s applied that and we’ve gotten to know each other fairly quickly.”
The players’ personal relationships have grown just as quickly as their knowledge of what teammates are going to do on the field.
“Honestly, I think it’s just the amount of time we spend together,” James said. “I know me personally, some guys come in different times, but it’s usually 8:00 am until who-knows-when in the afternoon, three or four sometimes. Just always being around these guys, and then even when you go back, sometimes you see guys hanging out together on extra.
“It’s almost like the only time we’re not seeing each other sometimes is when we’re sleeping,” he added with a laugh. “Everyone’s in their separate rooms, you know. That’s preseason, and you can only expect to have a strong team by having those long days and being – in a sense – forced to be with each other all the time, even though sometimes guys may want their own time apart from the team. It pays off in the end and I think everyone appreciates this time together and the long days with each other in the end.”
Like the relationships and familiarity have grown, so too have the chemistry and the overall product on the field. After losing 3-1 to an Atlanta United team among the best in MLS in the first contest, NSC has bounced back in a big way with three draws and two victories – including one over another MLS side, Orlando City SC.
The defensive product has remained strong, and the scoring punch has slowly developed. By the time the regular season hits, this squad should be in full stride.
“I wanted, at some stage or another through preseason, they’ve found an opportunity to come back from a difficult spot, which they have: they’ve been behind twice and got themselves back in the game.” said head coach Gary Smith. “They’ve shown really good signs in front of goal, which they have: last two games [excluding a 2-0 win over Lipscomb University], we’ve scored five goals. And we’ve been able to, in some moments, show that we’re capable of keeping other teams out, which we have.
“So I’m really pleased with what we’ve seen. The biggest challenge for us is going to be consistency. It’s a brand-new group. I’ve seen some really good moments; I’ve seen some moments where certainly we need to improve.”
Half of the preseason contests took place in the Sunshine State. After falling to Atlanta United, NSC headed down to IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for a week of training and a couple games. They drew MLS side Chicago Fire 0-0 and fellow USL competition Ottawa Fury 1-1 at IMG, before heading just up the road to Orlando to face Orlando City SC. That 3-1 victory served as validation of the methods in preseason training, and also served as a coming-out party for forward Michael Cox. While the team had scored just two total goals in the three prior contests, he scored one and assisted another on his own in that victory over a higher-tier club.
“It was real good, you know,” Cox said of the trip. “We got in a lot of sessions, quite a few games. We’re really starting to come together as a team. All the things we’ve been working on, we’ve started to see them in the games with a strong performance in Orlando.
“Of course, every attacker wants to have a goal or an assist. For sure, as preseason goes on, I’m feeling better and better, so I’m hoping it carries on to the season.”
Even if Nashville doesn’t come out against Louisville and earn a season-opening victory March 17 – even if this weekend’s friendly against Chattanooga goes sideways at some point, unlikely though that may seen – it’s clear that the methods of team-building are already paying off, and will mean solid regular-season results in the end.
Club and Country 